Tips to prevent becoming sick with Ebola

Tips to prevent becoming sick with Ebola

Your risk for getting Ebola is higher if you’re in an area with an active outbreak. Nearly all Ebola outbreaks occur in African countries.

A vaccine has also been developed for those at high risk of becoming infected.

To help prevent becoming sick with Ebola avoid:

• Direct contact with infected body fluids.
• Items that may contain infected body fluids.
• Visiting Ebola treatment clinics or hospitals.
• Touching the body of someone who has died from an Ebola virus infection.
• Contact with certain animals such as bats, monkeys and chimps.
• Eating bushmeat (the meat of wild animals such as bats, antelope and monkeys).

Care providers need to take extra care to avoid getting or spreading Ebola. Steps care providers can take to avoid getting Ebola include:

• Sterilizing equipment.
• Using disposable equipment and supplies.
• Washing hands.
• Wearing gloves, masks, glasses and other protective clothing.

Care providers can help reduce the spread of the Ebola virus by:

• Disinfecting homes of people who have Ebola. It can be killed and sterilized with bleach and hospital type disinfectants.
• Isolating people who have Ebola.
• Testing and monitoring people who have had contact with someone who has Ebola.
• Watching for new cases of Ebola.